


Worse Than Haunted

by yamastarss



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Gen, God(dess) of Death, Guns, Haunted Houses, Horror, Interactive Fiction, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Predator/Prey, Time Loop, Well just one actually, and a few visits to purgatory, general trigger warnings include but are not limited to, that causes an unfortunate amount of dying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamastarss/pseuds/yamastarss
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi and his friends visit a haunted house on Halloween night during their third year that's filled with puzzles... and a dark secret.The prose transcription ofmy interactive horror AU on Twitterof the same name. Updates to come when the story reaches significant milestones.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio & Tsukishima Kei & Yachi Hitoka & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is originally written in 2nd person because you (the reader) get to make Yamaguchi's decisions via Twitter polls. This, on the other hand, is just a retelling of things that have already happened and are therefore out of your control. So the perspective here has been switched to 3rd person.
> 
> In this fic, I've attempted to fix the grammatical mistakes of various tweets, so it's not an exact copy of what was originally published. However, despite the different phrasings and added exposition throughout the dialogues, you will find no new or exclusive information. On the contrary, some images from the thread fic such as maps and common items have been omitted so as to not completely clutter the text.
> 
> For those of you who are new to this AU: this story contains both images and audio (none of which contain jump scares). Besides that disclaimer, heed the warnings in the tags and have fun! :^)

_Why me?!_ Tadashi sobs into his hands, collapsed on his knees. _Why was it me that survived?_

He reminisces on his friends. Hinata. Kageyama. Yachi. Tsukishima. All dead… and for what? To explore a stupid haunted house that Hinata dared everyone to visit on Halloween?

Tadashi can’t get the image out of that… THING out of his head. That blue-hued monster with a head twice as large as its body whose jaws were strong enough to snap Yachi in two and somehow still fast enough chase Kageyama down.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

Tadashi looks up, startled to hear his name spoken so formally by an unfamiliar voice. A deep voice. A man’s voice?

In front of him stands someone draped in a black mist. He can’t see their face… or rather he can’t make out their face. The harder Tadashi looks at it, the less he feels he can process anything.

He feels the start of a migraine form in his temples. He can’t tell if it’s from trying to look at this figure’s face or from how long the tears have been spilling.

Tadashi’s voice comes out hoarser than he anticipates. “How do you know my name?”

“I know the names of every single person who has every walked this Earth,” the figure responds.

“Who are you???”

“The answer depends on who you ask. The ancient Greeks called me Thanatos. The Egyptians called me Osiris. The Aztecs called me Mictlantecuhtli. But to you, it might be easier to just call me the God of Death.”

Tadashi scoffs, wiping his face. “I don’t believe you.”

“I didn’t expect you to,” the figure says as if they anticipated his response, “but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to make you an offer.”

“An offer?” Tadashi asks cautiously.

“Yes. One that would save your friends.”

Tadashi scrambles onto his feet. “What is it?”

The figure chuckles. “Eager, aren’t we? You must really care about your friends.”

“I love them,” the freckled boy answers definitively.

“Here is my offer then.” The authority in their voice catches Tadashi off-guard. “I will allow you to start again from the beginning, which gives you the chance to get your friends out alive.”

Tadashi processes the figure’s words for a few seconds. “Why would you do that for me?” they ask softly.

The god shrugs. “It’ll be fun,” they answer nonchalantly.

“What’s the catch?”

They hum. “You have to get ALL of them out alive. Else I declare a ‘Game Over’ and you have to do it all again.”

The captain looks down and notice how hard his knees are shaking, yet he balls his fists. No matter how strong he’s become in the past two years, he cannot hold back the second wave of tears that overwhelm  
his eyes.

“Okay,” Tadashi says as he look up at where he think the figures eyes should be, “I’ll do it. If it means having a chance at saving my friends… I’ll do it.”

A red, fiery grin spreads across the god’s face, outstretching the limits of their voice. Tadashi takes a step back as to brace himself and puts his arms up defensively. Fear spreads through his entire being.

“Good choice, Yamaguchi Tadashi!” the figure laughs as their grin continues to grow wider. Suddenly, they lunge at the high schooler and all he sees is red engulfing him.

He doesn’t even have time to scream.

# # # # #

“Hinata, boge!” you hear a familiar voice say, “I’m not scared. I’ve just… never been to a haunted house before.”

A bright laugh that you’ve heard a million times before erupts. “Aww, don’t worry Kageyama-kun! I’ll hold your hand if it gets to be too much for you.”

“I think I might throw up…” a small voice whispers besides you.

“I still don’t understand how Hinata managed to talk all of us into this,” says someone who you’ve known for many years now.

 _They’re here_ , Tadashi thinks, eyes wide in awe, _They’re alive!_

He bursts out laughing in a strange sense of relief, and all four of his friends turn around to look at him, shock evident in their faces.

“What’s so funny Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asks.

“Sorry Tsukki,” the captain says as they take a breath to calm himself down, “it’s just… what if we didn’t do this? What if we just went back to my place right now and just watched dumb horror movies like how our kohai suggested?”

“Um…” Yachi hesitates.

“Sounds better than this,” Kageyama grumbles.

Hinata laughs as the group reaches the door of the accursed house. Panic spreads from Tadashi’s stomach to his throat.

“Oh c’mon Captain, it’s not that serious!” the orange boy says with amusement, “We’re only gonna poke around for a minute or two. We’ll be out in no time.”

“If we’re in there for more than a minute, I’ll personally make sure that you meet your end,” Tsukishima threatens sternly. Tadashi winces.

“I just have a really bad feeling about this,” the captain says.

“You’re just scared!” Hinata says with a laugh, “Which is fine. The only one here who’s truly a baby is Kageyama.”

“Am not!” the teased boy retorts loudly.

The two fall into their petty bickering—which is to be expected—as they cross the threshold. Tsukishima rolls his eyes, but shoves his hands into his pockets and follows closely behind.

Tadashi feels a tug at his elbow. When he looks, he sees Yachi pale in the face.

“Tadashi… do you really think we’ll be okay?” she asks with evident nervousness.

He hesitates for a moment before replying. “I really hope so.”

The freckled boy looks back up at the ace, the vice captain, and his childhood best friend. He tries to appreciate every single one of their features that he might not have ever noticed before.

He enters last, Yachi still attached to his side and his heart pounding in his ears.

 _That was all a bad dream_ , he tries to convince himself, _A horrible nightmare, really. There’s no way that such a creature_ actually _exists—_

“Oh I can assure you that this is all very real.”

And exactly as it had happened the time before, a strong gust of wind blows past the party and slams the door loudly behind them.

Tadashi spins around in horror, coming into the full realization of what’s about to partake.

“This is where my game truly begins.”


	2. The first toll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins at update《 012 》of the AU.

Tadashi runs up to the door, desperately reaching for the handle, but he quickly determines that it was somehow locked from the inside with a chain and deadbolt.

He still tries pulling on it though, praying that the lock is old enough for it to be forced opened. But after a few seconds of loudly rattling the door, he knows that he is stuck in this nightmare once again.

He realizes that his efforts are futile, so he turns around and returns to his friends.

“Let me guess,” Tsukishima says, unimpressed, “The door is jammed.”

“Something like that…” Tadashi responds.

“Did you try pulling on the handle really hard?” Kageyama asks.

Tadashi grimaces in disbelief at the question. “Of course I did!”

“We all heard the door rattling,” Tsukishima states with slight annoyance.

“I just wanted to make sure,” Kageyama defends himself.

“We’ll find another way out,” Hinata says, seemingly unphased by the turn of events.

“Y-yeah!” the blonde manager pipes up, “These places always have alternate exits like backdoors and windows…”

“Exactly!” the orange-haired boy grins, “We’ll be fine.”

Tadashi is silent.

“Hey,” Hinata continues, “if we’re gonna be stuck here anyways, we should try exploring a bit. That’ll help us find another exit.”

“I swear,” Tsukishima says through gritted teeth, “if you suggest that we split up—”

“We should split up!” the ace interrupts loudly.

“W-why?!” Yachi squeaks.

“We’ll finish exploring the house faster,” Hinata says matter-of-factly, “We can just text each other once we find something.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me, actually,” Kageyama says quietly.

The small manager turns to the captain. “Tadashi? What do you think?”

“I think we should stick together,” he answers, “Nothing good ever happens from splitting up.”

“I agree,” Tsukishima adds quickly.

Yachi nods quickly. “Me too.”

“You guys are no fun,” Hinata says with a pout.

Tadashi looks around the big foyer his team is currently standing in. It definitely has haunted house vibes: old, dusty, and incredibly dark. One thing that’s different though is that it’s surprisingly devoid of any furniture or décor. There are no creepy paintings whose figures seem to stare into their souls nor are there any mirrors with questionable reflections.

It’s all too familiar for the green-haired captain. However, when he tries to recall any useful information about what they did their first time here, he comes up blank. He has no idea how he managed to find a way out.

He doesn’t know how, but he’s absolutely certain that this inexplicable memory loss is the god's doing.

“Well then,” Kageyama says, “we should address the obvious: where should we go first?”

“I say we check out this room up front,” Tadashi responds.

“Works for me,” Tsukishima says with a nod.

“Alright, let’s go!” Hinata practically bounces with excitement.

The teammates walk past the staircases to the double doors beyond them. They're surprisingly heavy and groan as you pry them open, but it’s nothing any of the volleyball players can’t manage.

They’re met with a huge dining room. There is a bare long table in front of them—which has obviously not been used in a really long time—and various chairs scattered around the room. There are four square columns on each corner, but Tadashi can’t be sure if they're structurally important or just decorative. There's also an opening to the right, likely leading to some sort of kitchen.

The thing that catches Tadashi’s eye though is a huge curtain in front of them, behind the aforementioned long table.

Something about the curtains feels important to the captain, so in a trance-like state, he walks around the table towards the back of the room. He takes a deep breath as his shaky hands grasp at the rough fabric, silently pleading to the universe for there to be a window or backdoor behind said curtains that would help them escape.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally yanks them open. Instantly, his heart drops through the floor.

Whether there is a door or a window behind the curtain, Tadashi cannot tell because everything is barred up with large wooden planks. He considers trying to grab one, but they’re so thick and the spaces between them are so small that he thinks that all he could manage would be getting a few splinters in his palms.

“Well,” Tsukishima states with evident boredom, “whatever it is, it definitely won’t help us get out.”

“Let me give it a try,” Kageyama says as he approaches the beams. Just like Tadashi expected, he can’t get a grip on any of the beams.

“Here, maybe I can do it,” Hinata says as if challenged by the setter, but even though he has smaller and skinnier fingers, he also can’t get a hold of anything significant.

“Congratulations you two,” Tsukishima says with amusement at the freak duo’s struggle, “you contributed absolutely nothing.”

“Then why don’t _you_ do something about it Stingy-shima??” Hinata retorts with annoyance.

“No thanks,” the blond middle blocker says as if disgusted by the suggestion, “I know better than to try to pull out old wooden planks with my bare hands.”

“Hey guys,” Yachi interrupts with anxiety dripping from her voice, “Does anybody else think that the stuff on the planks looks like… b-blood???”

Hinata shrugs. “Maybe that’s just some old paint used to freak people out.”

“Why would anybody do that?” Kageyama asks in disbelief.

“I actually agree with the King on this one,” Tsukishima answers with amusement.

“Why you—”

“This is NOT the time to be fighting, you two,” Tadashi interrupts them sternly. They both fall silent, brows furrowed in frustration.

“Sorry,” Kageyama says quietly.

“Oh, I have an idea!” Hinata pipes up, “Why don’t you guys look for something that could help us tear down the planks in here while Kageyama and I go look in the next room?”

“No Hinata,” Tadashi answers exasperatedly, “I really think we should stick together.”

“Yamaguchi, are you scared?” Tsukishima’s words could be interpreted as mocking, but in reality, it’s a genuine question.

“You’re not??” Yachi squeaks.

“Of course not.” Tsukishima looks around to his teammates to inspect their reactions and then huffs a single breathy laugh. “What, do you really think there’s a ghost or a monster hiding somewhere in this dusty and gross house?”

“W-well, you don’t know if there is,” Kageyama answers with a scowl.

“Pfft, yeah right.”

Hinata groans. “Fine, whatever. We’ll stick together no matter what. But could we at least check out the next room??”

Tadashi sighs in exhausted defeat. “Sure. Yeah, alright, we can go to the next room.”

“Great!” Hinata says, the excitement returning to his voice, “Let’s go then!”

So the group convenes in front of the adjacent room’s entrance with Hinata eagerly entering first, followed closely by Kageyama, then Tsukishima, then a visibly-trembling Yachi, and finally Tadashi.

Just as the freckled boy expected, it looks to be a kitchen. It has counters and cabinets (some of which are open or ajar) and two islands in the middle that were likely used to prep food by multiple chefs long ago.

However, despite being fairly certain that this room was once used as a kitchen, there are no appliances to be found.

Hinata makes a beeline for the open cabinets on the top portion of the kitchen while Kageyama looks inquisitively at the islands. Tsukishima and Yachi hang back near the entrance, so Tadashi takes it upon himself to check the bottom portion.

While he’s rummaging around, he opens a drawer on the furthest corner from the entrance to find a chef’s knife and… something else.

“Did you guys find anything?” Yachi asks from the entrance.

“Uhh I found out that the sinks don’t work,” Kageyama responds.

“Well, I don’t think anybody’s been keeping up with the water bill,” Tsukishima says with snark.

“I didn’t find anything myself,” Hinata adds, “What about you, Captain?”

“Oh, I—”

Tadashi is suddenly interrupted by a loud and distinct chime, making everyone in the room jump.

[[ [LINK TO AUDIO #1](https://twitter.com/i/status/1312830998724308992) ]]

“What in the world was that??” Hinata asks in surprise.

“Seriously?” Kageyama answers, annoyance dripping from his voice, “Have you never seen a grandfather clock before?”

“Is that what it is???”

“It must be off though,” Yachi comments, “It’s not even midnight yet.”

“Wait, you can tell the time just by listening to it?” Kageyama asks, tone changing to that of confusion.

“So you know what a grandfather clock sounds like,” Tsukishima says slowly, “but you have no idea how it works.”

As the teammates bicker loudly amongst themselves, Tadashi stands frozen in place, a new yet familiar wave of fear pulsing through his veins.

He’s heard this chime before. How could he ever forget? It’s the sound that signaled the end of his friends. It’s the sound that summoned that wretched beast; the monster whose head steadily tilted from side to side like some kind of pendulum as it consumed the flesh of those he loves, ticking down the seconds to their demise.

_It’s coming._

“We need to hide,” Tadashi says exasperatedly.

“Huh?” Hinata questions with concern.

“Why??” Yachi squeaks her own doubt.

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima adds, “what—”

“NOW!”

When Tadashi look around the kitchen, he realizes that the only feasible place for any of them to hide completely would be the cabinets under the sinks, but the only ones who could fit down there would be Yachi or Hinata. Tsukishima, Kageyama, and himself, on the other hand, have nowhere in the kitchen that can completely conceal them. Tadashi’s eyes find their way back down to the open drawer and he looks over its contents.

He picks up the chef's knife and the mysterious item. To his surprise, it's quite light. The green-haired boy would’ve probably thought it was fragile if he couldn't immediately tell by touch that the thing was made from some sturdy metal.

With the authority that he’s learned over the past year, Tadashi addresses his friends. “Hitoka. Hinata. Get under the sinks.”

Hinata starts to protest, but Tadashi interrupts. “Don’t ask questions. Just do it.”

“O-okay,” Yachi agrees.

When the two smallest friends comply with Tadashi’s demands, he knows that they'll be safe, but as for him and his two other friends...

The ticking grows louder.

The captain marches up to Kageyama and firmly grabs his shoulder. The setter is about to protest when Tadashi covers his mouth with his free hand and drags him towards the entrance of the kitchen. He unceremoniously shoves the vice-captain to the bottom corner and holds his index finger to his lips, instructing Kageyama to stay quiet. The eyes of the black-haired boy grow wide as he seems to finally understand that Tadashi is genuinely not kidding, so he gives him a small nod as he presses his back against the wall.

Tadashi then turns to face his childhood best friend, who's looking at him with equal parts disbelief and concern. The freckled boy steps up and puts the chef's knife flat against the middle blocker’s chest, quietly begging him to take it. Tsukishima instinctively holds it and then takes a few steps back until he’s met with the bottom pillar of the adjacent room.

Suddenly, everyone hears the rickety doors of the dining room open. Tadashi’s flight instinct kicks in and he flees back into the kitchen, darting into the first space he sees between the bottom counters. He makes himself small as possible, eyes glued to the entrance as he chants in his head _Don’t come  
in here. Don’t come in here. Don’t come in here._

Tick. Tick. Tick.

_It’s here._

  
Art by @heirrogance on Twitter.

  
The monster walks forward into the space between the islands, almost as if in patrol.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

It's head rhythmically tilts from side to side to its own beat, jerking violently when it reaches the edges of the motion.

From Tadashi’s position, he can’t even see the tips of its ears, which means that he is thankfully out of its line of sight. It must not have seen Tsukishima either since he didn’t hear anything from the dining room but...

He peers over to the corner where he had previously put Kageyama. The setter has slid down the wall, hands over his mouth, knees up to his forearms, and terrorized eyes spilling with silent tears. Tadashi has never seen the vice-captain look so small.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

At the cross section by the furthest wall, the monster begins to turn around.

Kageyama is going to be in its line of sight at any second. Tadashi tries to silently catch his attention by waving and digging the air between them. He needs the black-haired boy to move, but Kageyama must not be able to see him. He's not responding.

Tadashi scrambles onto his knees and crawls as quickly as he can towards his friend. But even when he makes his way in front of the setter, his gaze remains distant. He's in an obvious state of shock, and it’s worse than the captain thought.

Tadashi tries to shake him, but he doesn't budge.

_C'mon Kageyama! We have to move!_

Tadashi tries to grab Kageyama’s hands and pull him, but he's stiff as a board. So instead, the green-haired boy uses all of his strength to snake his entire arm behind Kageyama’s back and shove him forward. He lands on his hands and knees, and the small fall seems to make him regain some lucidity.

Tadashi silently directs him towards his last hiding spot, but as he starts following him, the ticking sound suddenly speeds up, seemingly in agitation. The captain’s gaze snaps towards the source of the noise and his eyes widen in horror.

_It’s spotted me._

He knows it's futile to run, but that doesn't stop him from yelling "GO GO GO!" before trying to quickly push himself onto his feet.

But Tadashi doesn't even have the chance to stand up straight before he feels sharp claws digging at his ankle. He screams in pain as he’s immediately yanked back. He barely manages to brace himself so that his head doesn’t slam onto the floor. He tries to reach for the corner of the island, but the force pulling him back is too great and his fingers immediately slip.

He turns around to meet the grinning face of the one who is about to bring his end, and the last thing that Yamaguchi Tadashi hears is Tsukishima screaming his name.


	3. Intermission I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins at update《 036 》of the AU.

Tadashi is jolted awake in an infinite emptiness, darkness spreading as far as he can see. He realizes that he’s somehow standing up, but his body feels incredibly heavy. He’s not in any pain, however.

He blinks a few times, not really processing where he is or what just happened to him. When he look down, he realizes that he’s standing in a black mist that comes up to his ankles.

It looks almost like the one that—

“Well, that was disappointing.”

Tadashi whirls around and see the god of death standing a few feet in front of him, the mist from the ground coming up to envelop them like how he remember seeing them last time.

The freckled boy could swear they were shaking their head if he didn’t have such a hard time looking at them, his eyes still unable to fully process their figure.

“You somehow managed to get your entire party to the room with the least amount of feasible hiding spots by the first toll.” The god lets out a loud sigh. “Honestly, how did you manage to escape the house and then be the first one to die?”

“I—”

The figure holds up their hand. “It was a rhetorical question. I know the answer.”

“You do?” Tadashi asks cautiously.

“Sometimes,” the god starts slowly, “when a friend of yours insists on something, there might be some kind of intuition at play. You seem to have understood this your first time around, but obviously something changed.” They then hum pensively, almost tauntingly, “Or maybe you just didn’t take him seriously, which is why you trusted him a little more.”

Tadashi’s fairly certain that the god is talking about Hinata trying to split them all up in order to explore different parts of the house, but the idea of not having everyone together while that THING was loose made him feel queasy.

Tadashi then makes a sudden realization. “Wait, does Hinata know about this??”

“No, the only one who’s aware of my game is yourself.”

The boy furrows his brows. “Then are you going to erase my memories like how you did last time?”

“First of all, I didn’t erase them, I confiscated them,” the god says with annoyance, “Second of all, you will remember your last run. In fact, you’ll remember every run from here on out.”

“What about my friends?”

The god chuckles. “They won’t remember a thing?”

There’s a brief pause between the two of them as Tadashi continues to try to process his situation and the god’s words.

“Did I die?” he asks after a few moments.

“Of course you did. Why else would you be here?”

“Where is ‘here’ exactly?”

“Limbo. Purgatory. The judgement place. Whatever you want to call it, really,” the god answers, almost as if bored.

Another silence befalls them, but this time it’s the figure who breaks it. “Well?” they ask inquisitively, “Are you ready to go back?”

The freckled boy tilts his head. “You need my permission to do that?”

The god snorts. “No, but I’m not a total asshole.”

Tadashi refrains from commenting on that.

A red, fiery grin spreads across their face, outstretching the limits of it voice. When the god lunges at the captain, he still flinches and takes a step back, but instead of fighting them, he lets the flames engulf him.

"I would wish you luck, but we both know that luck isn't exactly what you need to win this game."

Yamaguchi Tadashi suddenly has the strong urge to cry.


	4. The split

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins at update《 041 》of the AU.

A strong gust of wind blows past the party and slams the door loudly behind them. Tadashi spins around, heart beating a million miles an hour, as he stares at the entrance door.

However, he resists the urge to run up to it and rattle it like he had done twice before because he’s preoccupied with something—someone—more important right now.

Tadashi turns to face Kageyama.

He looks startled, but when he catches Tadashi looking at him, he clears his throat and looks away in embarrassment. Although he’s trying to keep up his tough guy façade, his eyes are free from the terror Tadashi had seen in them seemingly moments ago and his cheeks are cleared from any stains that tears could have left behind.

Tadashi’s body moves before his mind reacts. He takes a few big steps towards the setter and envelop him in a hug.

“Yamaguchi,” Kageyama says, obviously surprised, “are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m just…” his breath hitches. “I’m so glad that you’re alright.”

“Of course I am???? Why wouldn’t I be???”

“No reason,” Tadashi says softly, “just… I’m sorry.”

“F-for what??”

“Captain,” Hinata says with concern, “What’s going on?”

“Yamaguchi, please get a hold of yourself,” Tsukishima says plainly.

The freckled boy steps back and wipes his face with his forearm, pulling the most reassuring smile he can muster. “Right. Let’s find our way out of this place.”

Tadashi checks his pockets, trying to find the weird item that he had found in the kitchen during the previous run. He furrows his brows as each one of them comes up empty except for the usual items he carries.

It’s gone.

His thoughts are promptly interrupted.

“A way out??” Yachi addresses the captain’s last statement with concern.

“You say that like we can’t just leave the same way we came in,” Hinata says with a tilt of his head.

“A slammed door is no reason to despair, you know,” Tsukishima comments.

_Right... They don't remember anything._

Tadashi takes a deep breath. He tries to not let the pressure of having to carry all of the knowledge of this house, and all of the memories, overwhelm him.

He is the captain of Karasuno Boys’ Volleyball Team, a powerhouse school that rose from the ashes after being deemed flightless for a long time. He can do this.

“We should check it out, though,” Tadashi says, “Just in case.”

“In case of what?” the orange ball of energy asks.

Tadashi hesitates. “You know… in case it’s actually jammed or something.”

“Why would you think that?” Tsukishima asks.

“I mean,” Yachi says in an obvious attempt to be helpful, “there’s no harm in making sure that we can actually get out alright.”

The blond middle blocker pauses. “I suppose you’re right,” he says finally.

So Tadashi leads his team back down the entrance hallway, everyone keeping a relatively close distance from each other. He only has to get about halfway through the corridor though for the state of the front door to be evident.

“It’s… chained up?” Hinata’s observation comes out more like a question.

“Why was that a question?” Kageyama retorts, “Have you gone blind?”

“Of course not!” the ace huffs, “But look, it’s locked from the inside. I didn’t see anyone when we came in that could have done this, did you?”

“I didn’t,” the setter responds plainly.

“Me either,” Yachi chips in.

“Huh,” Tsukishima says halfway between amusement and inquiry, “Maybe this place _is_ haunted after all.”

“Don’t say that!” Kageyama snaps.

“Oh calm down,” the tall middle blocker says with a roll of his eyes, “It’s probably just the property owners knowing that there are kids like us who like to come snooping around this time of year, so they’re trying to freak us out. I bet you it’s nothing.”

A shiver runs down Tadashi’s spine.

“Still,” Yachi hums pensively, “the lock is really weird.”

“Weird how?” Tadashi asks.

“I mean, just look at it.”

Everyone goes to look at the lock after Yachi points it out. Tadashi’s not entirely sure how they missed it, but it's unlike anything he has ever seen before. Usually, padlocks only require one key at the bottom to unlock, but this one has four labelled slots on its face where Tadashi assume different keys need to go in order to open it.

“Do you think this means we need to find four keys in order to get out?” the small manager asks.

“Looks like it,” Tsukishima answers plainly.

“Aw man!” Hinata exclaims with obvious disappointment, “I really thought this was going to be a _real_ haunted house. Now it just feels… artificer.”

Everyone pauses, trying to make sense of the words.

“Do you mean ‘artificial’?” Yachi asks with a gentleness she only uses when tutoring the freak duo.

“Uhhh… yes?”

“Hinata, boge.”

“Regardless,” Yachi interferes before any more bickering occurs, “this all kind of feels like a game now.”

Hinata perks up again. “A little bit, yeah!” Tadashi can’t help but wince at the coincidence. “But hey, the keys are probably scattered around the house.”

“I swear,” Tsukishima says through gritted teeth, “if you suggest that we split up—”

“We should split up!” the ace interrupts loudly.

“W-why?!” Yachi squeaks.

“I mean, why not? We’ll finish exploring the house faster this way,” Hinata says matter-of-factly, “We can just text each other once we find something.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me, actually,” Kageyama says quietly.

The small manager turns to the captain. “Tadashi? What do you think?”

“Yeah, sure, okay,” he answers.

“Wait, seriously?” Tsukishima responds with disbelief.

“I mean, Hinata has a point,” Tadashi continues, “If we need _four_ keys to unlock this thing, we’re better off splitting up.”

Hinata claps his hands once in excitement. “I knew you’d see things my way!”

“As long as I don’t end up by myself,” Yachi says quietly.

“Alright then,” Tsukishima starts slowly, “Let’s say I’m convinced. How then would you suggest that we split up?”

Tadashi hums. “I say we do three groups: two of 2 and one of 1.”

“Woah,” Kageyama says with a furrow in his brow, “are you saying someone should go off by themselves??”

The captain hesitates. “Well—”

“And who exactly would be going with whom?” the blond middle blocker interrupts.

Tadashi thinks for a second. “Tsukki, you should go with Hitoka, and then Hinata and Kageyama can go together.”

“Alright!!” Hinata cheers.

“Wait, doesn’t that mean that you’d be the one going alone?” Kageyama asks.

“I suppose it does, yes,” Tadashi replies with a nod.

“And you’re okay with that??” Yachi follows up nervously.

“Of course!” the captain reassures, “Else I wouldn’t have suggested it.”

Tsukishima hums contemplatively and then sighs. “Alright.” Tadashi quickly looks away.

“C’mon Kageyama!” Hinata exclaims with excitement, “Let’s go and check out whatever is down this hallway to the right!”

“O-okay,” the setter responds nervously.

Yachi nods once slowly. “I suppose we should explore this hallway to the left, then.”

“Works for me,” Tsukishima answers.

“Guys, wait,” Tadashi calls, “Before you go…”

Tadashi debates telling his friends to hide when the grandfather clock chimes since he knows that's when the monster comes out, but he’s not entirely sure his friends would believe him. He doesn’t blame them, of course, but he’s not trying to send them into a premature panic.

He just hopes that he run into everyone before another tragedy happens or maybe even text them once he hears something. He thinks he should instead focus on gaining as much information as possible.

“Please text the group chat everything that you find,” the freckled boy continues.

“Aye aye, Captain!” Hinata responds eagerly.

“Even the stuff you think is boring or might not be important.”

“Alright, got it.”

“It doesn’t have to be big or shiny.”

Hinata winces at the implication. “Okay.”

“So when I say _everything_ —”

“You mean everything! I get it, I get it. Sheesh,” Hinata says with a pout, “You don’t have to treat me like a toddler or anything.”

“He’s only treating you how you deserve to be treated,” Kageyama responds with snark.

“Oh don’t think I wasn’t talking to you too, Kageyama,” Tadashi says, staring his vice-captain down.

The setter also winces at the implication. “Alright, sure. Everything.”

Tadashi turns to face the other pair. Yachi straightens out and gives him a silly military salute, her face contorted into a serious expression. Tsukishima looks at her with a slight furrow of his brow and then sighs, but Tadashi know that's his way of telling him that he'll also comply. Tadashi smiles, trying to bask in the silliness that he always feels when hanging around his friends.

Hopefully this won’t have to be the last time he ever feels this way again.

Not even two seconds pass before the ace is racing down the right hallway, laughing and calling out Kageyama's name. It doesn't take much instigation for the vice-captain to pursue after him, and the two are quickly gone out of your sight.

The club manager turns around and looks at the left hallway, but it's pretty obvious that her knees are shaking quite violently. Tsukishima takes a step in front of her and offers out his arm. She gladly takes the assistance and latches on, holding her body close to him as they disappear into the left hallway.

And Tadashi’s suddenly alone in the big and quiet foyer.

Since his friends are already checking out the hallways and he knows that the big room up front constitutes the dining room and the kitchen, Tadashi decides to check what's upstairs.

He thinks that maybe long ago the stairs would've been considered beautiful. The metal handrails are twisted into intricate shapes and what's left of the rug lining the middle of the steps seems to have once been colorful. But now everything’s old and dirty from years of negligence. The handrails have accumulated a significant amount of dust, so although Tadashi would usually use them for assistance, he foregoes them altogether.

He expects the stairs to be rickety, but they're surprisingly stable. As he makes his way up, the handrails merge into a pony wall that surrounds the upstairs hall. This hall is shaped like a hollow rectangle, with the middle portion peering down into the foyer. There are two smaller doors to each side of said rectangle and then huge double doors that look similar to and are in the same position as the dining room doors downstairs.

As he’s contemplating on which room he'd like to go into, Tadashi feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

**Hinata:**  
>> hey captain, does this count as important?  
>> [image attached]

**Hitoka:**  
>> Probably since… we found something similar  
>> [image attached]

>> I dunno about you guys, but ours looks like it’s made out of blood…”

**Hinata:  
**>> maybe thats just some old paint used to freak people out

**Kageyama:**  
>> why would anybody do that???

**Tsukki:**  
>> I actually agree with the King on this one.

Tadashi sends his next message before Kageyama can reply.

**Yams:**  
>> Where are you guys rn?

**Hinata:**  
>> 1st room of right hall

**Hitoka:**  
>> First room of the left hallway

**Hinata:**  
>> hey! great minds think alike :^)

**Tsukki:**  
>> Except Yachi-san’s mind is way greater than yours.

**Hinata:**  
>> i mean i know that, but just lemme have this one :v(

**Hitoka:**  
>> Where are you Tadashi?

**Yams:**  
>> Upstairs

**Hitoka:**  
>> By yourself??? Gosh I could never 😭😭😭

**Yams:**  
>> ghdkalfhsk thanks ^^;;

**Tsukki:**  
>> Well, even with these weird markings on the wall, we haven’t found any keys yet.  
>> We’ll keep you posted if we do.

**Hinata:**  
>> yeah! same here!!

When Tadashi walks into the room to the room to the left of the upstairs hallway, he’s met with a relatively well-furnished master bedroom. There's a king-sized bed in front of him whose headboard is in the middle of the upper wall and a single nightstand on the other side from him. The sheets have holes and tears scattered about it, but he’s surprised that it’s neatly made. Immediately to his left is a vanity with a few drawers that is strangely lacking a mirror.

There’s also a door on the far right of him, at the bottom of the room, probably leading to a bathroom.

But the most interesting—or rather, disturbing—part of this room is the old wooden wardrobe across from the captain with clear blood markings on the outside part of each of its doors.

He immediately takes a picture of it and send it to the group chat.

**Yams:**  
>> There’s probably a pattern here…

**Tsukki:**  
>> Huh. Looks like it.

**Hinata:**  
>> do u think that each room as these markings?

**Yams:**  
>> No idea yet

**Hitoka:**  
>> Hopefully they’re actually related to the lock on the front door...

Something about the wardrobe feels important to Tadashi (he's pretty sure that it has something to do with the blood), so in a trance-like state, he walks around the bed to the other side of the room. He takes a deep breath as his shaky hands grasp at the wooden handles, silently pleading to the universe for there to be a key or big clue in its confinements that would help you escape.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally yanks the door open. Instantly, his heart drops through the floor.

“... It’s empty,” Tadashi says into empty air.

There is absolutely nothing in the wardrobe except for a thick layer of dust and some cobwebs. There's not even a mothball in sight. The green-haired boy sigh loudly in equal parts frustration and relief. He’s sure there must be something of worth among all this furniture, but he guesses the only important part of this particular piece is the blood on its exterior.

Tadashi feels his phone buzz.

**Hinata:**  
>> hey, i think we found a key!!!  
>> [image attached]

**Hitoka:**  
>> Oh my gosh that’s great!!  
>> Good work you two 😄

**Hinata:**  
>> tysm Yachi :D

**Kageyama:**  
>> thank you

**Tsukki:**  
>> [image attached]

>> Incidentally, we also found a key, so don’t think you’ve won or anything.

**Hinata:**  
>> damn it stingyshima…

**Yams:**  
>> Good work everyone!

**Hinata:**  
>> did u find anything captain?

**Yams:**  
>> Not yet. Still looking tho

**Hinata:**  
>> alright! there’s a few bin/container things still in this room, so me and Kageyama will stay here a bit longer

**Tsukki:**  
>> There’s nothing else in this room for Yachi-san and me, so we’re going to move further down the left hallway.

Suddenly, Tadashi hears the tall-tell chimes of a grandfather clock, except this time he seems to be much closer to the source of the ringing.

[[ [LINK TO AUDIO #2](https://twitter.com/i/status/1314858468059172864) ]]

Tadashi tilts his head and furrows his brow in confusion after the last bell rings. He don't hear the monster's ticking like he did last time. He thinks this probably means that it's nowhere near him. Probably not on the second floor. Probably...

His blood immediately runs cold.

_It’s on the first floor with my friends._

Tadashi whips out his phone as fast as he can.

**Yams:**  
>> Everyone needs to hide

**Hinata:**  
>> huh?

**Yams:**  
>> Everyone needs to hide right now

**Hitoka:**  
>> Why??

**Tsukki:**  
>> Yamaguchi, what are you talking about?

The freckled boy racks his brain trying to come up with an excuse.

**Yams:**  
>> I know how houses like these work  
>> They’re going to send someone to come find us  
>> And if they catch us, we get penalized

**Tsukki:**  
>> What do you mean by “houses like these”?  
>> You haven’t been to that many haunted houses in the past.  
>> And of the ones you have, we’ve been to together. Not a single one of them used mechanics like that.

Of course it would be Tsukishima who catches Tadashi in his lie, but the captain grits his teeth and keeps pressing, beginning to pace around the room.

**Yams:**  
>> I read about them online  
>> Did research before we came here  
>> Please, just trust me on this one

**Hinata:  
**>> ummm alright ig  
>> captain’s orders

**Hitoka:**  
>> Question is… when should we come out?

Tadashi’s brain short-circuits for a second.

**Yams:**  
>> I’ll tell you when

**Kageyama:**  
>> ???

**Hitoka:**  
>> How will you know?

**Tsukki:**  
>> And why won’t you just tell us?

**Yams:**  
>> Look, it’s hard to explain  
>> Just please trust me on this one and hide until I tell you it’s okay to come out  
>> And for the love of god make sure you are fully concealed from anything that could possibly walk through your door

**Hitoka:**  
>> Anything?!

**Yams:**  
>> anyone* sorry

**Tsukki:**  
>> Fine. Only because you’re so insistent.

Tadashi grips his phone tightly and pushes it against his chest as his other hand finds its way to cover his mouth. It takes every ounce of his will to not let the tears welling up in his eyes spill over his cheeks. His entire body shakes and his chest contracts painfully as worst-case-scenarios flood his brain, pounding at his skull in every direction.

He’s so scared for his friends that it hurts. Although nothing happened to them last time, Tadashi comes to the realization that he might have to witness their deaths again and again, which sparks an unimaginable sorrow in his heart.

But Yamaguchi Tadashi can't let any of them see that. He needs them to trust him because it is up to him to lead them out of the accursed house alive. The captain needs to be strong and lead them out of this mess.


	5. Blood in the laundry room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins at update《 070 》of the AU.

Tadashi’s not actually sure when it will be safe for everyone to come out of hiding. He doesn’t fully know what the monster's habits are, which also means that he has no idea where it will roam to next. It may or may not even come upstairs where he is, but he figures that he’ll hear it coming if it does.

So he decides to take the risk and continues investigating the master bedroom. He needs to find items of value for their quest of escape—preferably a key or an actual written clue. Then hopefully enough time will pass for Tadashi to check on his friends again once he finishes.

He first checks the nightstand since it’s the closest to where he is. Given that his luck with the wardrobe was abysmal, he doesn't expect to find anything in this smaller piece of furniture either. To his surprise and mortification, he opens its sole drawer to see a revolver.

It's old and rusty, but Tadashi has no idea if that means it's functional or not. He thinks he might know how to fire it because he’s seen his fair share of American action movies, but he’s never actually seen a gun in real life, much less held one. He doesn’t even know how to check for bullets and he’s afraid that fiddling with it will accidentally set it off.

It's a powerful weapon and a good find, but the green-haired boy doesn't know if he'll be able to properly use it. One wrong move and he could get himself or his friends severely injured, perhaps even killed.

Regardless of his lack of experience with firearms, however, Tadashi can't deny that having some sort of protection on him is an asset. So he picks up the revolver, careful not to pull on the little top thing that cocks the gun, and store it in his front pocket barrel-down.

Next, he checks the bed next to the nightstand by looking under the pillows and shaking the sheets. However, aside from earning himself a few sneezes and coughs from the dust he lifts, Tadashi doesn't find anything there.

So he moves on to the vanity.

He’s keenly aware that it doesn't have a mirror, which makes him uncomfortable for some unknown reason. Was it removed before or after the monster took residence in the house? Did it even come with a mirror to begin with? Is it still somewhere in the house? Tadashi’s brain ponders these questions as he reaches for the drawer. When he slides it open, he can't help the sigh of delighted relief that escapes him.

He’s found a key.

Tadashi takes out his phone to take a picture of it in order to send it to the group chat, but freezes before he can even open the camera app. He hasn't checked in on his friends yet and none of them have sent him a text, which means they're probably still awaiting his instruction.

If they figure out that he’s been scavenging around after specifically instructing them to hide, it will most certainly raise some suspicion. He’s already used his “Just trust me” card and he’s not sure he can pull it off again.

However, withholding this information until later might raise suspicion—especially from Tsukishima—no matter how much time the freckled boy has spent building the relationship with his team, both as their captain and their friend.

In the end, he decides to take the risk of being honest.

**Yams:  
**>> I’m p sure it’s safe to come out of hiding now

**Hitoka:**  
>> Oh thank goodness  
>> You know how when you start hiding, you ALWAYS have the need to use the restroom?

**Yams:**  
>> ghdlakfhsl yeah  
>> Oh btw, I found these two things in the room I’m in  
>> [two images sent]

**Hitoka:**  
>> A GUN ?!?!?!???!?!???

**Yams:**  
>> Looks like it…

**Hitoka:**  
>> Is it real ?????

**Yams:**  
>> I,,,, don’t know  
>> But probably if I’m being honest

**Hitoka:**  
>> Please tell me you didn’t pick it up

**Yams:**  
>> …..

**Hitoka:**  
>> Tadashi 😭

**Tsukki:**  
>> Question: Why aren’t Kageyama and Hinata answering?

Tadashi’s body reacts before his mind does. With his phone in one hand and the key in the other, he runs out of the room, races downstairs, crosses the foyer, and turns the corner of the hall where he last saw the oddball duo go. He stops in his tracks when he notices the door is wide open. His entire body shakes as he steps forward and slowly walks through the doorway.

The room contains several canvas-lined bins that resemble large laundry hampers. Tadashi is fairly certain he’s walked into some sort of laundry room, but like the kitchen in the previous run, this room is strangely devoid of any appliances. There are piles of old clothes and tattered sheets scattered here and there, but what immediately catches the captain’s attention is the small body in the middle of the floor, mutilated and dismembered over a pool of fresh blood.

Tadashi can’t help the sob of surprise he lets out, his hands finding their way to cover his mouth as he falls to his knees.

**Hinata Shouyou is dead.**

"Tadashi! Tadashi, what happened? We heard—"

Yachi's sentence is cut off by her own scream. Tadashi turns around and see her bent over with her own hands over her mouth. Tsukishima stands beside her, hand on the doorframe and eyes wide in horror.

“What in the world happened here??” the blond middle blocker asks loudly.

“This is a joke, right?” Yachi’s voice sounds distant. “This is just a really cruel and awful prank.”

“Yamaguchi, who did this??”

“I—”

“Hinata, stop messing around,” the manager’s voice breaks, “Please.”

“Where is Kageyama?”

“I…” Tadashi stares blankly at his childhood best friend, “I don’t know.”

Tsukishima immediately takes out his phone, presses a few buttons, and then holds the device up to his ear. Tadashi can only hear Yachi’s oncoming sobs as the tall boy with glasses just stares blankly ahead, but then they hear the muffled sound of, presumably, Kageyama's ringtone coming from one of the hampers to the freckled boy’s left. Tsukishima immediately walks over to the source, body stiff and eyes deliberately avoiding Hinata's body in the center of the room.

Tsukishima’s voice is gentler than Tadashi has ever heard him use. “Kageyama. It’s me.” A moment of silence passes. “Are you hurt?” Another silence. “Can you stand?” Silence again.

Tadashi sees the bin shake slightly as Kageyama struggles to get up. Tsukishima reaches over the edge to offer a hand and the green-haired boy sees the vice-captain's upper body ascend out of the hamper. He looks unhurt, but when he turns to look at Tadashi, he freezes.

“Kageyama?” Tsukishima asks carefully.

Tadashi sees the setter move his lips but doesn’t hear what he says.

“You need to speak up,” Tsukishima prompts again.

“I-is that the real Yamaguchi?” Kageyama asks, voice barely above a whisper.

“Huh?” the blond middle blocker is taken aback by the question.

“What??” Tadashi also adds, “Of course it’s the real me, wh—”

“And why should I trust that?”

Tadashi flinches. “I… I don’t know how to answer that.”

Kageyama turns to his teammate who’s given him a hand. “Do you trust him?”

Tsukishima grimaces in confusion. “Why are you even asking?”

“Because _it_ looked just like Yamaguchi.”

“What do you mean by ‘it’??” Tsukishima follows up.

“The _thing_ that killed Hinata. It looked _exactly_ like Yamaguchi.” Kageyama’s voice steadily gets louder and louder. “We hid in this hamper, just like how we were told to do. But when it walked in—when _Yamaguchi_ walked in—Hinata thought that he had changed his mind about when it was safe to come out. That he had come to get us.

“But when Hinata came out of hiding, it started, like, _clicking_ and moving its head from side to side. Then it dropped to all fours and transformed to _whatever_ it was and attacked Hinata.” Kageyama’s voice begins to waver. “It was so fast. He didn’t even have time to scream. Oh god, I should’ve tried to save him. I should’ve fought for him. But all I did was collapse and just listened to him _die._

“Hinata, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. This is all my fault.”

Everyone is stunned silent by the testimony. The only noise in the laundry room comes Kageyama’s labored breathing and Yachi’s quiet sobs.

“What did the creature look like?” Tsukishima finally asks.

The setter gulps. “I-it had a human-looking head that was way too big for its body.”

“Human?” the blond boy repeats.

“Yes! B-but it wasn’t. It had this huge smile with rows of sharp teeth and claws that—” Kageyama stops himself mid-sentence. “Look. I know I sound insane, but I promise you that I’m not. I don’t expect any of you to believe me. If you had told me about it and what it did to Hinata before we got here, I would’ve laughed in your face.”

“Kageyama…” Tadashi responds softly.

The captain starts getting up, but the setter flinches at the movement. Tsukishima holds up his arm protectively and Kageyama instinctively grabs onto it, holding it close to his chest.

Tadashi holds up his hands defensively and stands up slowly, his gaze flickering between the two living boys. The vice-captain refuses to look at him in the eye, but his childhood best friend looks… furious.

“I believe you,” Tadashi continues. This makes Kageyama perk up.

“Y-you do?”

“Yes. Which is all the more reason that we need to get out of this place.”

Tsukishima looks like he wants to say something but withholds anything that has come to his mind.

“So Hinata really is dead…” Yachi says quietly.

“Hitoka, I’m—”

“Oh my god we’re all going to die in here.”

“Yachi-san,” Tsukishima interrupts, “you need to calm down. Panicking won’t help anyone in this situation. Come with me outside.”

The middle blocker looks back at Kageyama, who nods knowingly and loosens his grip on him. Tsukishima withdraws his arm and then starts walking back to the door, but when he comes next to Tadashi, he stops in his tracks for a second and glares.

"You have _a lot_ of explaining to do," he whispers firmly as he proceeds to make his way over to Yachi, who is now having a full-blown panic attack, to escort her away from the room.

Tadashi walks towards Kageyama slowly, almost as if trying to approach a wild animal without frightening it. In fact, the closer Tadashi gets to him, the further away he turns his head from him. When the captain arrives to the spot where Tsukishima stood just a few moments back—which Tadashi then notices blocks Kageyama's view from Hinata’s body—he holds out his hand.

“C’mon,” he says gently, “we need to get you out of here.”

Kageyama doesn’t respond.

“I promise that I won’t hurt you.”

Silence.

“It’s really me, Yamaguchi Tadashi,” he tries again, “17. Scorpio. Captain of the Karasuno High School Boy’s Volleyball Club.”

Nothing.

“...The one who took you to Tsukki’s favorite coffee shop to try his regular drink because you thought it would help you understand him better, even though you hate coffee.”

“I thought we agreed to never bring that up again.”

Tadashi chuckles. “I know.”

Kageyama finally turns to look at Tadashi and then quickly glances at his outstretched hand. He takes it hesitantly and the captain helps him out of the large hamper. Tadashi then swings his arm over his shoulders and grabs the setter’s waist to stabilize him, and even though he flinches at the touch, in the end he graciously leans most of his weight on the green-haired boy. Tadashi could tell that his body is shaking way too hard for him to walk on his own.

Tadashi escorts Kageyama out of the laundry room and then turns the hall towards the foyer. There, they see Tsukishima kneeling in front of Yachi with his hand on her shoulder. He’s whispering some unintelligible words of encouragement and leading her through breath exercises. She seems to have calmed down significantly, and when she looks up and spots the two, she smiles sadly.

“I’m okay,” she croaks out.

“That’s good to hear,” Tadashi replies with a nod.

“I really want to get out of here, though.”

Kageyama huffs. “I think we all do.”

Tsukishima clears his throat. “So we have three keys… and a gun, apparently.”

“A gun?!” Kageyama exclaims in bewilderment.

“Yeah,” Tadashi responds, “I found one in the room upstairs.”

“Oh…” The vice-captain falls silent. “Do you know how to fire it?”

The captain winces. “I don’t. Do you.”

“No.”

“Regardless,” Tsukishima interjects, “I suggest that we go back to the lock while we’re already here. We have three keys and four keyholes, so our chances of getting one correctly are relatively high.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me,” Tadashi responds.

“Great.”

Kageyama nudges the freckled boy, indicating that he’s ready to walk on his own. Tadashi lets him go while Tsukishima helps Yachi to her feet. Together, they all walk down the side of the foyer and turn the hall to the entrance corridor. When they're a few feet away from the lock, everyone stops save for Tsukishima, who comes right up to the door.

“Yachi-san, the key please,” Tsukishima solicits.

“Right,” she answers, handing him their key.

“Yamaguchi.”

“Here you go,” he says, fishing his pockets for the key and handing it over.

“Kageyama.”

Kageyama diverts his gaze away from the rest of the group and hangs his head.

“Kageyama,” Tsukishima tries again, “where’s your key?”

There’s a thick blanket of silence for the several moments it took the setter to answer. “Hinata had it.”

The silence turns somber.

“I suppose someone could fetch it while the rest of us stay behind and fiddle with the two keys we do have,” Tsukishima says, chasing the awkwardness away.

“You want us to rummage through Hinata’s b-body??” Yachi yelps.

“We have no other choice,” the middle blocker says, ever-so level-headed, “If that key opens one of the locks, we must retrieve it.”

“W-well, I’d… rather not,” the manager says, her voice small. In similar fashion, Kageyama’s body stiffens and still refuses to make eye contact, making it clear that he also wishes not to be sent back to the laundry room.

“Well then, captain?” Tsukishima says as he turns to address Tadashi, “You or me?”

Tadashi takes a deep breath. “I’ll go, don’t worry.”

“Please be careful,” Kageyama pipes up.

“Of course.”

“Wait,” Yachi interjects, “before you go, we should establish a password.”

“A password?” Kageyama repeats.

“Yeah, so we can tell if we’re real or not.”

Tsukishima shrugs. “I don’t oppose that idea.”

Tadashi hums. “How about ‘crows’?”

“'Crows'?” Yachi echoes, “Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

“I can do that,” Kageyama agrees with a nod.

“'Crows' it is, then,” Tsukishima affirms.

“Okay.” The freckled boy sighs. “I’ll be back soon.”

So he turns around and walks back down to the foyer, trying his best to not let his shaking knees betray your confident appearance.

Even though Tadashi knows he has lost this round and that he will likely face unspeakable horrors time and time again, he still prays to every deity that he knows that his friends are still alive when he returns to them.

He stops right before he reaches the door to the laundry room when a dreadful thought crosses his mind. _What would be worse: seeing Hinata's lifeless, mangled body again or finding it missing?_

Tadashi shakes his head, physically trying to purge it away as he walks into the room.

 _Regardless, Hinata will come back,_ he tells himself instead, _He'll come back and he'll be alive and he won't remember a thing and everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay._

Almost instantly, Tadashi gags at the smell of gore that floods his senses to the point where he instinctively covers his nose with his shirt.

Hinata's body is still there, untouched from its previous state. The tears immediately well up in Tadashi’s eyes, both from the stench and overwhelming emotions, as he approaches his once-lively friend. The green-haired boy never thought it'd possible to see him this still.

With one hand still over his face, Tadashi tiptoes over the pool of Hinata’s blood. The small boy’s eyes are still wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling and his jaw agape. Tadashi feels the hot streak of tears pour over his cheeks before he realizes that they’re there, but he presses forward and reaches for the pockets of what's left of Hinata's pants.

In the first pocket, the captain finds the late ace’s keys and phone, but no laundry room key like in the picture he had sent in the group chat. Tadashi grimaces as he realizes that he has to turn Hinata’s body in order to check the other pocket.

Even though he once considered Hinata to be fairly light, Tadashi struggles to move him one-handedly. He’s forced to hold his breath as he uncovers his nose to use both hands to push him onto his other side.

The pool of blood drips down Hinata’s back as the green-haired boy rolls the body, dirtying his hands in the process. He winces and struggles to not breath in, but he forces himself to reach into the other pocket of his small friend.

Thankfully, Tadashi immediately finds what he’s looking for. He sighs in relief as he pulls the laundry room key from Hinata’s pants, then gently lays his body back down, gripping the now-bloodied key tightly in his free hand.

He glances at Hinata's keys and phone that he had set aside. He takes them with his free hand as he stands back up, knees aching in protest of his previous position. Tadashi glances between his mutilated friend and his personal possessions, taking a few steps back and out of the pool of blood. He puts Hinata's stuff in one of his back pockets and the laundry room key in the other gun-less front pocket.

Tadashi then puts his palms together, closes his eyes, and bows his head in a praying stance.

“I’m so sorry, Hinata,” he whispers to unhearing ears, “I’ll see you again soon.”

Before Tadashi departs, he takes one of the old sheets he finds in the hamper closest to him and wipes the blood off his hands and shoes as best he can. Even though he’s still unsure of the monster's intelligence levels, it doesn't take much to follow some footprints. He sure as hell doesn’t want to be the reason it gets a free pass to his friends.

When Tadashi is satisfied enough with the results, he lets out a big sigh. His eyes water slightly once more since he’s still not completely used to the stench, but he manages to blink them away. The captain begins to walk out the room, but he stops at the doorway. He has the urge to look back, but something inside him knows that if he gives in to it, he will surely break.

So with a heavy heart, Yamaguchi Tadashi takes a step forward and closes the door softly behind him.


	6. Survival of the fittest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins at update《 094 》of the AU.

Tadashi crosses the foyer back to the entrance corridor as he had done with his friends only minutes before. He holds his breath in anticipation the entire time, so he can’t help the relieved smile that finds its way to his face when he sees the vice-captain, the manager, and his childhood best friend all still crowded around the lock.

“Tadashi!” Yachi exclaims with relief, “Oh thank god you’re—”

“Password.”

Tadashi flinches at Kageyama’s hostility. “Sorry?”

“Password.”

Tadashi blinks. “Oh,” he finally processes, “Sorry. Crows.”

Kageyama stares intently at Tadashi. He holds this gaze until Yachi walks up next to him, close enough to make her presence known, but not close enough to actually touch him.

“Kageyama-kun,” she says softly, “he knew the password…”

The setter’s shoulders remain tense for a few seconds before letting out a huge sigh. “I… I know,” he says, exhaustion washing over him, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, no need to apologize,” Yachi says reassuringly, finally reaching out to pat his shoulder, “I’m glad you remembered.”

“Well now that we have that out of the way,” Tsukishima comments bluntly from where he’s standing by the door, “we have good news and bad news.”

Tadashi raises an eyebrow as he walks towards the door. “What’s the good news?”

“The good news is that the key that Yachi-san and I found probably unlocked the bottom-left keyhole.”

“…Probably?”

“It fit in the keyhole,” Yachi explains, “and we were able to turn it just fine, but…”

“We can’t remove it from the lock,” Tsukishima finishes.

“You can’t remove it?” Tadashi repeats in disbelief.

“No,” Kageyama continues, “All three of us tried to get it out, but it wouldn’t budge. After it turned, it just got stuck.”

Tadashi is silent, trying to process the information he’s been given. “I’m assuming that’s the bad news,” he says after a few moments.

Tsukishima nods. “You’d be correct.”

“Did you try my key?” the captain follows up.

“Not yet,” the middle blocker answers, “We think the reason that the first key got stuck is because of how old the lock is.”

Yachi nods. “We’re not sure if we should try the others in case they don’t turn and _still_ get stuck.”

“Huh.” Tadashi shifts his weight uncomfortably. “Well, maybe we should—”

He’s suddenly interrupted by the loud and familiar sound of a grandfather clock’s chimes. Yachi yelps in surprise as Tadashi whirls around in shock.

[[ [LINK TO AUDIO #3](https://twitter.com/i/status/1317369338182029313) ]]

_The second toll has come way faster than the first,_ Tadashi observes, _and the ticking is really, really close._

He spins around, desperately searching for any feasible place for any of them to hide. However, the foyer is completely devoid of furniture and they’re all crowded at a dead end. He has no idea if they even have time to run.

But they must try.

“RUN!” he commands. Tsukishima is about to protest when he follows up with “SCATTER!”

Tadashi doesn’t have to repeat himself before everyone starts running down the entrance corridor towards the big opening of the foyer. The ticking grows louder, and Tadashi knows it's close. Impossibly close.

When they reach the opening and everyone is around to decide where to go, Tadashi’s eyes blow wide and skids to a stop when he looks to his right, down the hall where Hinata and Kageyama had last gone. The ticking suddenly speeds up in either agitation or excitement as they come face-to-face with the monster.

It has spotted them all.

“What the fuck is that?!” Tsukishima exclaims in shock, but Tadashi knows for a fact that there is no time to explain.

“GO GO GO GO!!!!”

Without any more prompting, Tsukishima bolts back down the left hallway, in the opposite direction of where the monster stands. Tadashi shoves Kageyama forward―his eyes fixed on the monster that has appeared in front of him once again―and takes Yachi's hand. The three of them take off running across the foyer, but the tall setter quickly gains speed over the captain and the manager, making a beeline for the dining room.

Tadashi drags Yachi towards the stairs, her hand squeezing his harder and harder with each stride they make. When they make it to the base of the steps, she throws a glance over her shoulder. Suddenly, Tadashi’s arm is yanked backwards. He yelps in pain as his grip on Yachi breaks. He turns around to the sound of her screams.

The monster drags Yachi away from him, its front claws digging into her back and shoulders, shoving her chest to the ground. She cries in pain as she reaches forward, helplessly digging at the floor for something to grasp on. The monster violently sways its head from side to side ( _ticktockticktockticktock_ ), practically vibrating in excitement as it salivates onto the small friend.

“HITOKA!” the boy cries out.

“TADASHI!!”

“HITOKA, NO!!”

“TADASHI, HELP M—”

**Yachi Hitoka is dead.**

All Tadashi can do is stare at the gruesome scene happening in front of him. Yachi’s panicked screams are quickly replaced with the sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bones. _Her_ flesh and bones.

The freckled boy fall backwards onto the first steps of the stairs, eyes wide as hot tears stream down his face. His hands find his mouth in an attempt to stifle the wails that threaten to come out, afraid that he’ll draw its attention towards himself. He wants to reach out―to run forward and pry the monster off Yachi's body and take her to safety. To safety. To safety...

The monster looks up from its feast with its toothy, bloody grin unwavering. Instantly, Tadashi’s flight instincts kick in. He scrambles onto his feet and book it up the stairs, taking three steps at a time and refusing to look back.

His mind and vision are static as he runs into the familiar master bedroom, flings the doors of the bloody wardrobe open, shoves himself into its small confinements.

He pulls his knees close to his chest and start rocking himself back and forth, trying his best to even out his breathing as he hyperventilates in the dark. Tears come down at a steady rate and he can’t help but hiccup some whimpers.

Yamaguchi Tadashi does his best to shove the images of what just happened out of his mind, but they flood his every thought as Yachi’s last words repeat over and over inside his head.

_Tadashi. Help me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ends at update《 103 》of the AU. If you would like to catch up on what will eventually become Chapter 7, [continue reading here!](https://twitter.com/itsNationJoy/status/1320182947425603585?s=20)

**Author's Note:**

> Questions? Comments? Theories and observations? [Send them my way on CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.qa/itsNationJoy) !!  
> Additional info can also be found [in this thread](https://twitter.com/yamastarss/status/1324753876638081025).
> 
> And if you like my AU so far, consider [supporting me on Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/itsnationjoy) !!
> 
> Thank you for reading so far. I hope you're having as much fun as I am 💕


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